Although he thinks titles ‘don’t mean anything,’ Hans Peter Strobl’s is a lofty one – chief mixer and vp of Marko Audio Post Production in Montreal. Strobl’s nearly 40 years experience and his considerable talent make Marko the top audio post choice for many of Quebec’s most revered moviemakers.

Strobl began his career in the field of music recording in his homeland of Austria. There he got work with the Viennese Symphony Orchestra, where he soon became head of the vso’s recording studio, a position he held for seven years.

With these experiences and his obvious talents, Strobl brought his platinum ear to Canada, arriving in Montreal in 1972. Because he ‘couldn’t find anything that suited [him] in the [music business],’ the young audiophile turned his ear to film mixing.

Strobl was given an opportunity with Cinelume Productions, where he worked until 1978, when the National Film Board made him an offer he ‘didn’t refuse.’ At the nfb, Strobl was the senior mixer in charge of Theatre One for 13 years. Finally, in 1991, he joined what was then called Studio Marko.

At the time, Marko concentrated on ‘commercial audio and some music jingles.’ However, the company ‘wanted to expand, and the logical expansion was into tv and film work.’ That’s where Strobl came in. ‘They approached me and I ran with it,’ he says.

Marko purchased Son Quebec and its recording studios, where it built two new mixing stages to facilitate this expansion. The first long-form project Strobl mixed in the new stage was Jean-Claude Lauzon’s critically acclaimed Leolo. He was also the re-recording engineer on several other prominent Quebec film projects, including Jesus of Montreal, Un Zoo La Nuit and this fall’s box-office winner, The Art of War.

Why are Marko Audio Post Production and Strobl often the first choice for audio post in Montreal? Strobl credits his team: ‘We have the best pool of mixers in Montreal,’ he says.

The Marko team includes Luc Boudrias, Louis Gignac, Louis Hone and Bernard Gariepy Strobl, Hans Peter’s son.

As for the technology, Marko employs Euphonix mixing boards and Augan digital recorders.

‘The Euphonix boards that we’re using are digitally controlled analog boards; the digital technology has the advantage of facilitating automation,’ he explains. In this way Strobl is able to take advantage of the digital technology while maintaining the warmth analog sound offers.

Despite the new technology, Strobl still believes ‘the crew is the main thing.’

He explains: ‘You have to have the talent to serve the client. It’s not a question of equipment. You need equipment, but you can’t put just anybody in a Ferrari if you want to win the Grand Prix. You need the good driver. So we have the good drivers.’

Marko relies heavily on the ‘lively’ local production scene in Quebec to drive business. Strobl understands that no matter how many international features are shot in Montreal, ‘they always take it back [to do the post] because they like to sleep in their own beds.’

‘But that includes our people,’ he continues. ‘Montreal directors don’t mind going and shooting a film in Russia or China as long as for the whole length of the post-production time they can sleep in their own bed.’

According to Strobl, the long-form post-production industry rides on these local directors: ‘If they don’t have any success, we don’t have too much of a chance to have a good business.’ *